Lemon Puddings

this dessert is very easy and quick to make.  my kids and dh love this puddings very much that now everyone look forward to dessert night!

makes 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup caster sugar

65g unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

3 eggs, separated

1/3 cup plain flour, sifted

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup lemon juice

icing sugar, thick cream to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to moderately slow, 160 celcius degree.  Lightly grease 6 x 1/2 cup ovenproof rameskins or dishes.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together with electric beaters until light and creamy.  Add the lemon zest and egg-yolks and beat until well combined.  Add the flour and buttermilk alternately until just combined.  Stir in the lemon juice (the mixture will look curdled).
3. Beat the egg-whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold into the mixture between prepared dishes, then place in a large deep baking tray.
4. Pour enough boiling water in the base of the pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puddings are set and light golden.  Serve puddings dusted with icing sugar and with a dollop of thick cream.

Black’s Brownies

I called this  ‘black’s brownies’ for I’ve  got the recipe from my friend Mrs. Nur Black :p  It’s very easy to make, don’t even need an electric mixer…it’s perfect for an afternoon tea.

You’ll need:

200 gr dark chocolate

100 gr butter

2 tbs water

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 tspn vanilla essence

2 eggs (lightly beat)

1/3 cup plain flour

150 gr white chocolate, chopped

2/3 macadamia nuts

Method:

Pre-heat oven 150 celcius.  Line baking tray with baking paper.  Cook dark chocolate, butter, and water until just smooth.  Add caster sugar,  stir.  Take out the mixture from the stove then add eggs, vanilla essence, flour, combine.  Add white chocolate and nuts.

Bake 30 minutes or until the brownies is firm.  Cool it down.  You can put it in the fridge before you cut the brownies into pieces.

Lemon Shortbread

This recipe is the master key to a variety of delicious variations.  I melted chocolate, scooped it into a ziplock bag, snipped the corner and drizzled the warm chocolate over the biscuits.  The Boys helped me to spread the chocolate, apologize for the mess!

What you need:

125g butter

1 cup plain flour

1/4 cup cornflour

1/4 cup caster sugar

pinch of salt

zest of lemon

Method:

1. In a food processor whiz together the flour, cornflour and salt.  Add the butter and whiz until the mixture is like breadcrumbs and just starting to come together.  Add the lemon zest and pulse the mixer again.  Tip the mixture our and form it into a ball with your hands.  Wrap in cling fiilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes while the oven heats to 190 celcius.
2. Pinch teaspoonfuls of the mixture and form into balls.  Place on a baking paper-lined baking tray, then press the balls slightly flat with the back of a fork.  Bake for 5 minutes at 190 celcius then turn the oven down to 160 celcius and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until golden.  Dust with icing sugar to serve as an afternoon tea treat.

Peach and Coconut Yoghurt Muffins

another variation of muffin.  this one is easy enough and pretty good for lunch box.

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Makes: 12 – 16

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 cup Greek style yoghurt

2 eggs

2 tbsp vegetable oil or light olive oil

2 tsp coconut essence

1 cup diced fresh peaches

extra peaces, sliced, to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin or two 6 hole muffin tins with paper cases.
2. Combine flour, coconut and sugar in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk together yoghurt, eggs, oil and essence.  Add yoghurt mixture to flour mixture, add diced peaches and stir until just combined.
3. Deivide mixture between muffin cases.  Top with peach slices.
4. Cook for about 20 minutes or until muffins are lightly golden and cooked through when tested with a skewer.  (If using two 6-hole tins, cook 1 tin at a time)

Serve muffins warm or cold.

Source:  Better Homes and Garden, March 09

Sop Buntut (Oxtail Soup)

My old dear friend Agnes from college gave me this recipe when I moved to live in Australia with my husband.  At that time, I was zero in cooking knowledge.  In her recipe she says, boil the oxtail until tender.  I didn’t have a clue that tender in here means it will take about 1 – 1.5 hour to cook.  So after couple minutes I declared my buntut is cooked.  And…it turned out still hard and uneatable!  So….remember it need to be boiled about an hour or so, check occasionally with knife/fork, or until you can see the bones almost separated from the meats.  It’s easy to make, warm your tummy in the winter, quite light too for summer evening.

Ingredients:

1 kg beef oxtail

3 or 5 shallots, diced

2 or 3 carrots, cut 2 cm

2 potatoes, cut 2 cm (i omit this as it will make the soup too ‘heavy’ for my taste) or 2 tomatoes, halved

3 or 4 spring onions, chopped

half of nutmeg

5 cloves

Boil the oxtail until tender, it will take about 1 until 1.5 hour.  If the water runs out,  add more water.

Once the oxtail is soft, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, carrot.  Cook for about another 15 minutes or until the carrot is tender.  Add the tomato/potatoe and spring onions, cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve with fried onion on the top.

 

Bakso

Bakso is Indonesian traditional food (well kinda). It’s actually meatballs serve with egg noodles and vegetables. In Jakarta bakso is often sold in the street, on the little chart. In Australia you can buy ready-to-eat bakso that have been frozen. This recipe I got from my friend Aimee in Dubai. It’s easy to make, healthier than the frozen one, at least you know exactly what ingredients you put in it. And the result is delicious. I haven’t got any pics of the bakso I made since it was gone that quick and I forget to take a pic. So, next time around when I make it again for sure I will add a photo of my bakso in here.

Ingredients:

to make the bakso/meatballs

-minced beef 500 gr
-3 cloves garlic, chopped
-tapioka starch 200 gr
-salt and pepper, taste
-chicken stock, 2 tspn
-baking powder 2 tspn
-cold water (from the fridge) 1/2 cup
-egg

mixed all the ingredients above together, set aside for 15 minutes. then make a little ball one by one.

meanwhile, for the soup:

beef bone 1/2 kg
1 clove garlic
2 litres water

boild the bone in 2 litre water for about 1 hours. then add the bakso into the boiling soup and cook until the bakso is firm and cook.

serve with egg noodles, some green vegs, couple boiled tofu, top with fried onion, and special chillie paste, we called it sambal bakso, you can buy it in the jar at the asian supermarket.

Chilli Cheese Dip

This cheese dip is delicious with corn chips or for more healthy choice some cut celery sticks or carrots will be yummy too. It’s very nice to have it in winter time, rug up in front of telly, or when you’re having some friends over the bbq….

preparation: 10 minutes

cooking: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tspn oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tomatoes, diced

50g baby spinach leaves roughly chopped

250g cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup sweet chillie sauce

2 tbspn chopped chives

mild paprika and corn chips, to serve

Method:

Heat oil in a large frying pan on high. Saute onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Add tomatoes and spinach. Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes, until spinach has wilted.

Reduce heat and add cream cheese, chilli sauce and chives to pan. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes until combined.

Spooin into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with paprika and serve warm with corn chips.

Tuna Basil Linguinie with Pine Nuts

Another easy pasta to make…delicious with fresh simple salad.

Ingredients:

• 500gr Linguinie pasta
• 100gr basil pesto
• 100gr thickened cream
• 1 medium tin tuna in spring water, drain, flake
• 2 pinches salt and pepper
• 100gr pine nuts, roasted

Instructions:

Cook pasta until aldentae (about 20 minutes). Drain pasta, and return to the pot (off heat). Stir thru basil paste, cream, tuna, salt and pepper. Add pine nuts to garnish before serving.

note: all ingredients use to your discresion.

source: Aimee Marmara

Kue Dadar Hijau – Green Coconut Crepe

I’ve got this recipe from my friend and I’m still learning how to make the crepe perfectly. Here in the photo there are couple that are a bit burn. It’s best if you have the gas stove rather than electric one.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour, sifted

2 tsp coloring pandan paste (Koepoe-Koepoe brand is the best)

2 cups water or more

1/2 tsp salt

Vegetable oil

1 sachet desiccated coconut

3 ground palm sugar (3 butir gula jawa – Mariza brand), sliced thinly

3-4 pandan leaves

To make the crepe:

Put the flour in a big bowl add salt and water, stir until the mixture is thinner enough. Add more water if necessary. Drop the pandan coloring, stirring. Heat oil in frying pan, pour the mixture and fry until both side is cook, similar like you make a crepe.

To make the coconut filling:

Heat oil in saucepan, cook coconut and palm sugar until browned enough but not burnt. Add the pandan leaves. Let it cool and set aside.

Fill the crepe with coconut and roll in.

Enjoy!

Chilli Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

800g beef strips

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp ginger, crushed

2 sticks of celery, sliced on an angle

1/2 head of broccoli florets

1 red capsicum, finely chopped

1 can of baby corn, drained and halved

2 tbs oyster sauce

2 tbs sweet chilli sauce

1 choy sum, chopped into thick strips

Methods:

Heat a wok or large frying pan until smokin ghot. Add 1 tbs vegetable oil and cook beef stir fry strips in batches until cooked through and browned, set aside. Add 1 tbs oil to wok and cook 2 cloves of garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add celery, broccoli, capsicum, baby corn, oyster sauce, sweet chillie sauce and choy sum. Stir fry until softened. Add meat. Heat through and serve with rice or noodles and garnish with spring onions.